A control scheme called “Beer Mode,” designed for players to hold their beer in one hand and play with the other… Old Time Hockey may have garnered a fan base off this alone. The upcoming hockey title pays homage to a bygone age of terrible hairstyles and facial grooming, playing dangerous sports without helmets and not giving a crap about the
rules.
Old Time Hockey is being developed by a Canadian startup studio called V7 Entertainment. They were inspired by the likes of the old hockey games NHL '94 and Blades of Steel and also drew inspiration from other sports entries like NBA Jam and Tecmo Bowl. It’s five on five hockey where it’s not frowned upon to throw a punch at another player or show the referee what you really think about his last call.
In addition to the five on five arcade mode, the developers have added in a silly story mode, which they promise doesn’t take itself too seriously. V7 thinks that players “will get a kick out of it.” Sure enough, it sounds like something out of a Will Ferrell movie:
Set in the late 1970s amidst a poor economic climate and during the peak of the disco era in the United States, Old Time Hockey underscores the arduous story of a struggling team in the Bush Hockey League.
There will be three control schemes, with two more in addition to the aforementioned “Beer Mode,” a two-button arcade version and a more updated, modern control scheme.
Old Time Hockey is currently scheduled to release on the Xbox One in early 2017.
I loved how you could wipe out your opponent in NHL 94. I think that was also the same year you could take out an opposing player in Madden after the whistle without a penalty.
I miss Blades of Steel. Loved that you could play a mini arcade game between periods.
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I used to play the crap out of Blades of Steel. Loved that game.
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I’ll check this one out. I loved the cross check after the whistle in the NHL games
V7 Entertainment’s Old Time Hockey has been received very well so far since its announcement last month. With plenty of positive comments supporting the “Beer Mode” control scheme, some gamers were concerned about the team representations. V7 has responded quickly to the comments and has gone back to the drawing board to create new teams.
Inspired by some of the birthplaces of hockey, the logos for the teams are yet to be revealed but the development team has released the list of the new teams:
- Charleston Hinto Brews - Charleston, SC
- Fort Edward Acadians - Windsor, NS
- Long Island Rumrunners - Commack, NY
- Quebec Rebelles - Beauce, QC
- Cape Cod Lamplighters - Hyannisport, MA
- Warroad Ice Anglers - Warroad, MN
- Cascadia Timber Cats - Springfield, OR
- Portage Lake Widowmakers - Houghton, MI
- Moose Jaw Farmhands - Moose Jaw, SK
- Cobalt Silver Blades - Cobalt, ON
Here’s the recently released teaser with its old school hockey gameplay:
Old Time Hockey will be making its way to the Xbox One early this year.
V7 Entertainment, developers behind the upcoming Old Time Hockey, took to their Twitter account to reveal several of the different teams they’ve been working on, as well as announce a release window for the game.
First up, we have The Moose Jaw Farmhands, known for their hard work and endurance:
The Thugs of Quebec wont be too happy if you don’t know your French:
Translation:
The thugs of Quebec are located in the historic region of Beauce in Quebec. Fans of the Thugs are proud to be tough and they often seem less interested in hockey than in associate violence. The team has been condemned on several occasions not to offer a safe environment for their anglophone supporters.
The Warroad Ice Anglers are full of die-hard ice hockey players. Hailing from Minnesota, these old timers have plenty of experience to bring to the ice:
The Charlestown Stonemasons are a bit of a mysterious team. Don’t expect to be drafted or traded to this team unless you figure out what the team’s management actually do behind the scenes:
The Cobalt Silvers are packing plenty of ice hockey skills and cash:
The Long Island Rumrunners come from New York and treat a game of ice hockey as if it was some sort of gang war:
Last but not least, The Fort Edward Bluenosers hailing from the coldness of Canada:
Old Time Hockey is still without a specific release date but the team is doing “everything they can” to get the game to us in March.
Following up on the sizeable reveals of teams that will be available in Old Time Hockey, developer V7 Entertainment has released screens of a couple more teams again, via their Twitter account.
The two teams we see this time are the Cascadia Timber Cats, and the Portage Lake Widowmakers, respectively:
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Old Time Hockey Changes Name and Finally Gets a Release Date
Old Time Hockey was originally due to be released in March. Then it was delayed to April before missing that target too. Things went very quiet and we started to question whether the title would be released on Xbox One at all, another console port to be quietly forgotten. Well, the doomsday scenario was incorrect but the title we’ll be getting next week is no longer called Old Time Hockey.
A stability issue that prevented the title from passing certification was to blame for the delay, but we’re still in the dark as to why the title is now called Bush Hockey League. Regardless, the game will be arriving with all of the improvements and additions that have been made to the existing Steam and Playstation 4 versions of the title.
- Play as 10 original teams, honouring hockey’s storied history.
- Story-mode let’s you take the down on their luck Schuylkill Hinto Brews from the Bush Hockey League dumps to glory!
- Score some beamers with your friends in competitive or couch co-op
- Drinking a beer and you don’t want to put it down? No problem! Bush League Hockey has a one-handed beer mode so you sip and rip some slappers.
Bush Hockey League will be arriving on November 29th for US$11.99 or regional equivalent.
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